Wednesday,
February 25, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Natalie Cortes hit a 3-pointer to set up Lincoln's game-closing 7-0 run that clinched a 48-41 win over North Bergen in the Hudson County semifinals on Tuesday night. |
JERSEY CITY – As the Lincoln players headed to the locker room for halftime in their Hudson County Tournament semifinal against North Bergen, they had every reason to feel confident. The Lady Lions held an 11-point lead, senior center Kiante Johnson was going off and opposing center Icies Hammer was saddled with three fouls and forced to sit for most of the first half.
However a deeper look showed that was cause for concern.
The Lions turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and allowed Jillian Jover to score at the buzzer, which gave the Bruins a little spring in their step despite being behind and that momentum carried into the second half when North Bergen came all the way back to make it a one-possession game. Dealing with this type of adversity is what champions are made of and the three-time defending Hudson County champs were not about to bow out on a floor that has been good to them in recent years.
Natalie Cortes nailed a 3-pointer to spark a closing 7-0 run to end the third quarter as second-seeded Lincoln held off No. 3 seed North Bergen, 48-41, on Tuesday night at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City.
“We faced some adversity but we stood up to it and made shots when it was a close game,” said Lincoln head coach Tommie Best. “I don’t think we shot the ball well and Kiante [Johnson] really carried us early. But when we needed baskets, we got them from different players and that got us back where we needed to be.”
Lincoln got off to a quick start with a steal and breakaway layup by Zhan’e Williams that gave the Lions a 6-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Hammer picked up her second foul and Johnson took advantage. She bulled her way in for consecutive baskets inside during an 8-2 run to close the quarter for a 16-7 Lincoln lead.
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North Bergen point guard Jillian Jover was a handful all night long. |
With the Lions still up nine, Hammer picked up her third foul just 1:42 into the second quarter and once again Johnson went to work for Lincoln. She hit four of her five shots in the second quarter, all from six feet and in. But they were not able to stretch the lead out much as Jover played big despite her diminutive stature. The 4-foot-10 point guard sliced through defenders often, including going the length of the floor and scoring an acrobatic layup as the halftime buzzer sounded to keep North Bergen within a reasonable striking distance going into the second half, 28-17.
“I knew what I had to do with (Hammer) out and I took advantage of that opportunity,” said Johnson, a senior. “We had a chance though to really step on their throats and put the game away in the first half but we didn’t do it. We know North Bergen plays really hard and you can’t give them any room or they can make a big run like they did in the third quarter on us. We couldn’t let this game slip by us because we want to be county champs again. I came in as a freshman winning a county championship and I want to go out as one too.”
After sitting for nearly eight minutes of the 16-minute first half, Hammer got going inside. She scored two straight baskets, including a putback of her own miss, to cut the lead to six, but she picked up her fourth foul on the next possession with 4:43 remaining in the third quarter. Jover did her best to keep the Bruins in it. She scored on a drive and hit two free throws as North Bergen cut the lead to 33-30.
That was as close as they got as the Lions hit their final three shots of the third period to get some breathing room. Cortes knocked down a contested 3-pointer from the corner. Williams and Destiny Shuler followed with mid-range baskets to bump the lead back up to double-digits heading into the fourth quarter, 40-30.
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Destiny Zuber and Lincoln will play Secaucus in the county final. |
It was still a sizable lead until North Bergen’s Daniella Balbuena hit back-to-back 3s to slice a 12-point lead in half. But the Lady Lions held on and move into the Hudson County final for the fourth consecutive season.
Johnson finished with game-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds for Lincoln (19-4). Cortes and Williams added nine and eight points, respectively.
Jover was the sparkplug all night, battling through the Lions’ pressure defense to finish with 13 points, four assists, and three steals for North Bergen (14-7). Despite being in foul trouble all night, Hammer finished with her customary double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Lincoln moves on to the highly-anticipated showdown with top-seeded and undefeated Secaucus for the Hudson County title on Friday night. The last time the two teams met was also on the court at Saint Peter’s University in the HCT final with Lincoln winning 48-43 in a double-overtime classic last season.
Best expects another great game, but knows his team will need to play better if they want to hold onto their title as Hudson County’s best team.
“We need to take better care of the ball and make every possession count to beat a team like Secaucus,” said Best. “Good teams, championship teams don’t let teams back in the game like we did tonight. We got through it, but we’ll have to get back in the gym and iron something things out to get ready for Friday night.”
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